Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Tigers at Swallows

Dream11 Fantasy NPB: Tigers at Swallows

This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy NPB series.

Hanshin Tigers (22-26-3) at Tokyo Yakult Swallows (22-24-5)

Friday, August 21st, 5:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

Tokyo Yakult Swallows: RHP Daiki Yoshida (1-1, 4.81 ERA)

Hanshin Tigers: RHP Shintaro Fujinami (0-4, 4.00 ERA)

Game Preview

These two teams are riding in opposite directions despite their similar records – the Tigers are on a four-game winless streak (D1, L3) with three defeats in a row, while the Swallows are coming off a win and are 3-2 in their last five games. If the season ended today, the Tigers would make the Central League playoffs. Aiming to grab a tighter grip in that seed, the Swallows will send righty Daiki Yoshida and his 4.81 ERA to the mound. The Tigers will counter with Shintaro Fujinami, who has a 4.00 ERA but a severe lack of support from the offense every time he's out there.

Injuries

Kyuji Fujikawa - Out - Upper Body

8/14 1:23 AM IST - The Tigers deactivated Fujikawa on Thursday, citing an upper-body injury, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Fujikawa previously missed time in July with a right shoulder injury, so it's possible the reliever is dealing with a related setback. The 40-year-old was lights out at the back of the Hanshin bullpen in 2019, but he's struggled mightily so far this season, posting a 7.20 ERA and 10:9 K:BB in 10 innings while converting only two saves.

Joe Gunkel - Out - Back

7/14 2:41 PM IST - Gunkel was removed from the Tigers' active roster Tuesday

Hanshin Tigers (22-26-3) at Tokyo Yakult Swallows (22-24-5)

Friday, August 21st, 5:00 AM EDT

Projected Starters

Tokyo Yakult Swallows: RHP Daiki Yoshida (1-1, 4.81 ERA)

Hanshin Tigers: RHP Shintaro Fujinami (0-4, 4.00 ERA)

Game Preview

These two teams are riding in opposite directions despite their similar records – the Tigers are on a four-game winless streak (D1, L3) with three defeats in a row, while the Swallows are coming off a win and are 3-2 in their last five games. If the season ended today, the Tigers would make the Central League playoffs. Aiming to grab a tighter grip in that seed, the Swallows will send righty Daiki Yoshida and his 4.81 ERA to the mound. The Tigers will counter with Shintaro Fujinami, who has a 4.00 ERA but a severe lack of support from the offense every time he's out there.

Injuries

Kyuji Fujikawa - Out - Upper Body

8/14 1:23 AM IST - The Tigers deactivated Fujikawa on Thursday, citing an upper-body injury, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Fujikawa previously missed time in July with a right shoulder injury, so it's possible the reliever is dealing with a related setback. The 40-year-old was lights out at the back of the Hanshin bullpen in 2019, but he's struggled mightily so far this season, posting a 7.20 ERA and 10:9 K:BB in 10 innings while converting only two saves.

Joe Gunkel - Out - Back

7/14 2:41 PM IST - Gunkel was removed from the Tigers' active roster Tuesday after experiencing back tightness during pregame warmups. Gunkel had made one start for the Tigers this season, but he'll have to wait until he's able to pitch again. The severity of the injury is unclear, but the right-hander will be forced to miss at least 10 days as a result of the injury. Gunkel allowed three runs while striking out three over four innings in his first start this year.

Yuhei Nakamura - Out - Undisclosed

6/20 10:09 AM IST - Nakamura was removed from the Yakult Swallows' roster Friday due to an undisclosed injury, BaseballKings reports. Nakamura didn't appear in the team's season opener, and he'll now miss time with an injury, although it's unclear how long he'll be sidelined. Nakamura appeared in 126 games last season, logging a .269 batting average with five home runs and 36 RBI. Suguru Ino was promoted in a corresponding move.

Yasutaka Shiomi - Out - Undisclosed

8/13 2:41 AM IST - The Swallows deactivated Shiomi on Wednesday due an undisclosed reason, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. The 27-year-old outfielder has been productive in a limited sample of 57 plate appearances this season, batting .294 with five home runs and three stolen bases. It's unclear when Shiomi might be ready to resume playing for the Swallows.

Albert Suarez - Out - Not Injury Related

7/10 5:49 AM IST - The Swallows deactivated Suarez on Wednesday, Jim Allen of JBallAllen.com reports. Though the right-hander is sitting on a microscopic 0.53 ERA through three starts, the Swallows want Suarez to hit the reset button and work on his mechanics after he walked seven batters in Tuesday's win over the Dragons. The Swallows replaced Suarez on the active roster with lefty Keiji Suzuki, but it's not expected that the 30-year-old will miss more than one turn through the rotation.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows Expected Lineup

1. Tomotaka Sakaguchi

2. Tetsuto Yamada

3. Norichika Aoki

4. Munetaka Murakami

5. Kotaro Yamasaki

6. Yuhei Takai

7. Alcides Escobar

8. Motohiro Shima

9. Daiki Yoshida

Hanshin Tigers Expected Lineup

1. Koji Chikamoto

2. Kento Itohara

3. Yoshio Itoi

4. Yusuke Ohyama

5. Justin Bour

6. Jerry Sands

7. Ryutaro Umeno

8. Seiya Kinami

9. Shintaro Fujinami

Top Picks From Each Team

Munetaka Murakami, Swallows: Murakami has been one of the top offensive threats in the league and that's enough reason to trust him with a captaincy role in this matchup. His numbers don't lie, as he's slashing .330/.441/.555 with eight homers and 43 RBI in 220 plate appearances. The power are not quite there yet, but he is capable of creating offense in more ways than just going yard.

Yusuke Ohyama, Tigers: Ohyama has 11 home runs and 27 RBI, but he's not the only thing he's done in an anemic Tigers offense – he is also hitting .264 with a stellar .864 OPS in 47 games.

Captaincy Options

  1. Munetaka Murakami
  2. Norichika Aoki
  3. Yusuke Ohyama
  4. Naomichi Nishiura

Dream11 Team

P – Daiki Yoshida

C – Ryutaro Umeno

IF – Munetaka Murakami (C)

IF – Naomichi Nishiura

IF – Yusuke Ohyama

IF – Justin Bour

OF – Jerry Sands

OF – Tomotaka Sakaguchi

OF – Norichika Aoki (VC)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Pablo Aravena
34-year-old sports analyst and journalist. Fan of every single sport on this earth. Enjoys a good beer, some good food, and good company. NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL and soccer fan.
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